Genera - Campylobacter and Helicobacter
27 October 2020 22:21
Campylobacteraceae: Genera- Campylobacter and Helicobacter
• Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequent cause of foodborne illness in the
developed world. There are 500,000 cases per year in the UK alone.
• The most frequent bacterial infection caused WORLDWIDE is by Helicobacter
pylori. 50% of the world's population are infected with Helicobacter pylori.
Genera Campylobacter:
There are 22 species in campylobacter family, this includes campylobacter jejuni and
campylobacter coli which are responsible for human disease.
Campylobacter causes self-limiting gastroenteritis (which includes diarrhoea, fever,
vomiting etc.) with systemic complications including:
○ Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) (1 in 1000 individuals develop this after the
general symptoms)
○ Miller Fisher Syndrome
○ Reactive Arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome)
Campylobacter jejuni is responsible for 90% of the disease outbreak. However, only
few percentage of the outbreak is caused by campylobacter coli.
The challenged faced by campylobacter is that after the phase of the general
symptoms of the infection, some individuals (immunocompromised) develop serious
systemic complications. All the systemic complications are autoimmune disorders
affecting the nervous system and causing lasting damage and even death when not
treated.
Genera Helicobacter:
There are more than 20 species in the family of helicobacter, helicobacter pylori is
the main human pathogen. The main cause of the disease in human includes:
- Chronic gastritis
- Gastric cancer (stomach lining, upper GI tract)
- Peptic ulcer disease
H.pylori is classified by WHO as a class 1 (definite) carcinogen (cancer causing
pathogen).
Campylobacter and Helicobacter General Features:
• Gram negative
• Oxidase positive
• Microaerophilic (< 5% Oxygen)
• Optimum growth (30-42 degrees Celsius)
• Motile (Campylobacter - single polar flagella; Helicobacter - sheathed (prevent
the host immune cells from detecting the subunits on the flagellum of the
bacteria), 2-5 polar flagellum)
Campylobacter spp. are very sensitive to a variety of external conditions (UV light,
heat, salt etc.). They are unable to multiply and thrive outside the host's body
meaning that they cannot reproduce on samples such as meat etc..
Helicobacter spp. are fastidious microorganisms (require complex growth media (e.g.
Campylobacter^J Helicobacter Page 1
27 October 2020 22:21
Campylobacteraceae: Genera- Campylobacter and Helicobacter
• Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequent cause of foodborne illness in the
developed world. There are 500,000 cases per year in the UK alone.
• The most frequent bacterial infection caused WORLDWIDE is by Helicobacter
pylori. 50% of the world's population are infected with Helicobacter pylori.
Genera Campylobacter:
There are 22 species in campylobacter family, this includes campylobacter jejuni and
campylobacter coli which are responsible for human disease.
Campylobacter causes self-limiting gastroenteritis (which includes diarrhoea, fever,
vomiting etc.) with systemic complications including:
○ Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) (1 in 1000 individuals develop this after the
general symptoms)
○ Miller Fisher Syndrome
○ Reactive Arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome)
Campylobacter jejuni is responsible for 90% of the disease outbreak. However, only
few percentage of the outbreak is caused by campylobacter coli.
The challenged faced by campylobacter is that after the phase of the general
symptoms of the infection, some individuals (immunocompromised) develop serious
systemic complications. All the systemic complications are autoimmune disorders
affecting the nervous system and causing lasting damage and even death when not
treated.
Genera Helicobacter:
There are more than 20 species in the family of helicobacter, helicobacter pylori is
the main human pathogen. The main cause of the disease in human includes:
- Chronic gastritis
- Gastric cancer (stomach lining, upper GI tract)
- Peptic ulcer disease
H.pylori is classified by WHO as a class 1 (definite) carcinogen (cancer causing
pathogen).
Campylobacter and Helicobacter General Features:
• Gram negative
• Oxidase positive
• Microaerophilic (< 5% Oxygen)
• Optimum growth (30-42 degrees Celsius)
• Motile (Campylobacter - single polar flagella; Helicobacter - sheathed (prevent
the host immune cells from detecting the subunits on the flagellum of the
bacteria), 2-5 polar flagellum)
Campylobacter spp. are very sensitive to a variety of external conditions (UV light,
heat, salt etc.). They are unable to multiply and thrive outside the host's body
meaning that they cannot reproduce on samples such as meat etc..
Helicobacter spp. are fastidious microorganisms (require complex growth media (e.g.
Campylobacter^J Helicobacter Page 1
